Wal-Mart Gets a Surprise Win

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series in which consumer goods editor/analyst Austin Smith discusses topics across the investing world.

Wal-Mart's new "pay with cash" feature has been an unexpected success for the company. What was probably seen as a niche experiment has played out with unexpected benefits like a higher average ticket price online, and as many as 30% of the pay-with-cash users are new to walmart.com. While this is unlikely to have a meaningful impact on Wal-Mart's bottom line, it's just one example of how Wal-Mart continues to be a more flexible company than investors give it credit for. It is hardly the lumbering giant its large box stores and dividend aristocrat crown would suggest.